


Mid The Fire And The Ember

by OrianDCate



Category: Big Hero 6 (2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Callaghan Dies, Evil Tadashi Hamada, Gen, Plot Twists, Tadashi Hamada Lives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-01-08
Packaged: 2021-03-12 11:33:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28634793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrianDCate/pseuds/OrianDCate
Summary: Krei sets the fire. Professor Callaghan dies. And Tadashi Hamada swears vengeance.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 6





	Mid The Fire And The Ember

I own nothing. Least of all this.

* * *

_“Was it you 'mid the fire and the ember?_

_Were you there to bedevil and beguile?_

_See, your face wasn't quite as I remember,_

_But I know that wicked shape to your smile.”_

_\- The Oh Hellos, “Where Is Your Rider?”_

* * *

1) THE SHADOW OF HADES

The man went flying.

His mask didn’t go with him.

“It’s over, Krei! You’ll pay for what you…”

Hiro stopped dead in his tracks.

Because behind the mask was…

No.

No, no, no, no….

Someone dropped to the ground behind him, but he couldn’t bear to tear his eyes away from what was in front of him to see who it was.

“Oh my…” It was Honey Lemon, then. More sounds meant the rest had joined her; but he just couldn’t find it in himself to care.

It couldn’t be. It was _impossible._

And yet, the scarred and burned face of Tadashi stared right back at him.

His hands were shaking. “You…you’re _dead.”_

The man that couldn’t be Tadashi laughed. “So I am. And you can rest assured, I fully intend to make Krei pay for what he’s done.”

Fred’s voice this time. “Wait, Krei’s _not_ the villain?”

Tadashi-that-wasn’t-Tadashi staggered to his feet. “Oh trust me, he’s a villain alright. Who do you think started that fire? Did you really think it was just an _accident?”_

The man spat blood through his teeth. “ _Krei_ set that fire. He was after the microbots; he thought that everyone would believe they were destroyed. Professor Callaghan tried to stop him. He succeeded; he got the mask away from Krei. But it cost him his life. I will not have that sacrifice be in vain.”

 _“How?”_ Hiro gestured at the mask on the ground. “By working with the man that got him killed?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m not working with Krei; I’m _stealing_ from him. Just because he can’t control the microbots, doesn’t mean he can’t still make them. He figures it’s just a matter of time before he hacks the interface.”

Wasabi moved into his right eye’s vision. “Hold on; if you’re the good guy, why were you trying to kill us all earlier?”

“Because it would be far kinder than letting you live.”

Wasabi raised a single eyebrow. “Mind running us through how that makes sense? Cause from where I stand, it’s making absolutely zero.”

Fake Tadashi straightened his coat. “Tell me, do any of you happen to know who the new Dean of the College is?”

He didn’t. But he could guess. “Oh no…”

“Oh yes. All that precious research you’ve done, all your projects, all your lives’ work; they might as well be Krei’s now. And I will _not_ have my friends used by that murderer. Even if it means I have to kill them.”

“But now,” Tadashi gestured, “You know the truth. You’ve seen what Krei’s done before; what he’ll do again. Professor Callaghan told me what happened to his daughter; that’s how I knew about this place. A portal with nowhere to portal to; turn it on in the middle of Krei’s operation, and he’ll lose everything. You could help me; you could avenge all the people Krei has hurt.”

“By hurting all the innocent people who work for him?” spat Gogo. “No thanks. Krei will get what’s coming to him; but legally. Which means we’ll stop you from going any further, if we have to. This ends here.”

Tadashi’s face twisted in hate. “So…this is how you all feel, is it?”

No one replied.

His brother turned back towards him. “Even you, little brother?”

“I…” He didn’t know. He _didn’t know._

But apparently Tadashi did. “So be it. Baymax; Programmer Override 42.”

The light faded from Baymax’s eyes.

And when it returned, it was a brilliant, burning red.


End file.
